Obituary: Charlotte BiggsDANVILLE — Charlotte Caroline Biggs, age 85, of Gravelly passed away Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017, at Dardanelle Nursing Center. She was born Jan. 30, 1932, in Chicago, Ill., to the late Edward and Lillian Koritzke Yoreck. Charlotte was a member of the Gravelly Mulberry Freewill Baptist Church. She was a homemaker and was retired from Wayne Farms. She was preceded in death by her husband, William “Bill” Biggs; parents; brothers-in-law, Donald Bigg...

Feds: No specific threat to public venues after Vegas attackLAS VEGAS — The Latest on the shooting in Las Vegas (all times local): 5:55 a.m. The U.S. Homeland Security Department says there is no "specific credible threat" involving other public venues in the U.S. after the Las Vegas shooting that killed at least 50 people. The gunman, identified by police as Stephen Paddock died at the scene. Police said he fired from the 32nd floor of a Las Vegas Strip casino onto an outdoor country music festival Su...

At least 50 killed, more than 200 injured, as gunman opens fire at Las Vegas concertLAS VEGAS — A gunman perched high on the 32nd floor of a Las Vegas Strip casino unleashed a shower of bullets down on an outdoor country music festival below, killing at least 50 people and wounding more than 200 as tens of thousands of frantic concert-goers screamed and ran for their lives, officials said Monday. It was the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Country music star Jason Aldean was performing Sunday night at the end o...

Alderman wants city to go solarAlderman Nathan George is in his first term on the Russellville City Council, and said during the council's September meeting that he wants the city to realize the benefits of solar energy sooner than later. Local business owner Sergio Picado told the council about available options and the effect their decisions could have on the Russellville community. He and his wife moved here from Connecticut and own two businesses that involve engineerin...

Attorney against clemency for inmate on death rowA Russellville attorney and former prosecuting attorney for the Fifth Judicial District wrote a letter to the Arkansas Parole Board and expressed his opposition to an executive clemency application for an inmate on death row. John Bynum said in his Sept. 19 letter to the Parole Board in Little Rock that he tried Jack Gordon Greene, who has been on the Arkansas Department of Correction's death row since his conviction in Johnson County Circuit ...

State police recover $6 million in fentanylArkansas State Police recovered over $6 million in fentanyl, an extremely powerful synthetic opiate drug, from Interstate 40 at approximately 9:17 a.m. on Thursday. Officers stopped a vehicle driven by Juan Avila-Gutierrez, 36, because it allegedly swerved on and across the center line. Heriberto Felix-Ruiz, 45, and Mario Irasola-Cruz, 32, and were also inside the vehicle, and the officer observed them to be "extremely nervous," according to a...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
simpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Arkansas Tech University announces 2016-17 graduatesEditor's note: This is part two of the Russellville area graduates from Arkansas Tech University. The Arkansas Tech University Registrar's Office has released a certified list of 1,826 degrees conferred upon students on the Russellville campus during the 2016-17 academic year. The list includes Russellville graduates from the campus in Russellville with associate, bachelor, master, educational specialist and doctoral degrees. Those who graduat...

Community people: Stephanie BeermanStephanie Beerman, director of the Russellville Area Chamber of Commerce, made a visit to Russellville Lions Club. She spoke about the Paint the Town Green project, which was started to get ATU students involved in the city of Russellville. THE COURIER / Submitted

Batson joins oral surgery teamDr. John Batson and his family are joining the Russellville community. Dr. Batson, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, will join Dr. Donny Quick as part of the Arkansas oral surgery team in Russellville. The practice is located at 1212 West Second St., just off of Main. Dr. Batson is a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq during Operation Enduring Freedom. He recently resigned his commission as a major in the Army and will be settling in the ar...

Pirates shut out Trojans 42-0BY HEATHER SPRINKLE For The Courier DOVER -- The Dover Pirates celebrated homecoming with a 42-0 win over the Subiaco Trojans at Jack Berry Field on Friday night. Dover's (4-1, 1-1 4A-4 Conference) Blake Massengale scored a touchdown early in the first quarter, and the two-point conversion gave the Pirates an 8-0 early lead. Within seconds after the Trojans (0-5, 0-2) took the ball, Kirkland Quinton recovered a fumble for Dover. But the Pirate...

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BY HEATHER SPRINKLE
For The CourierThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Community people: ATU Symphonic Wind EnsembleTHE COURIER / Submitted The Arkansas Tech University Symphonic Wind Ensemble will make its 2017-18 debut with a concert entitled "Heat" at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday in Witherspoon Auditorium, 407 West Q Street in Russellville. Admission is free.

State Capitol Week in ReviewLITTLE ROCK -- The Arkansas Correction Department houses 18,180 inmates. If it were a city, it would be the 24th largest in Arkansas, but the system is spread across the state in 19 prison units and several other secure facilities. About 1,450 will be in the jails of the 75 counties in Arkansas, waiting until space is available in a prison unit. Arkansas has contracted with Texas to house 333 inmates in Bowie County, across the state line from...

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From the office of State Sen. Greg StandridgeThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Reformation Bike Ride 2017 slatedThe 10th Annual Augsburg Fall Fest, in celebration of the 500-year anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, will host a Reformation Bike Ride at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14. The ride will feature two routes, a 28-mile Full Reformation Ride and a 13-mile Mini-Reformation ride. An entry fee of $20 includes lunch at Augsburg Fall Fest and a T-shirt. The entry fee is $10 without a T-shirt. T-shirts will be guaranteed to everyone who signs up bef...

Burn ban set for Johnson, Yell and PopeYell County Judge Mark Thone announced Friday morning that he issued a county-wide burn ban until further notice. Johnson County Judge Herman Houston also announced Friday that he issued a burn ban until further notice. Pope County Judge Jim Ed Gibson announced a county-wide burn ban Thursday until further notice.

Air Force Academy leader delivers powerful speech on raceAIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — The leader of the Air Force Academy delivered a poignant and stern message on race relations in a speech to thousands of cadets after someone wrote racial slurs on message boards outside the dorm rooms of five black students. Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria warned students that he would not tolerate racism at the academy and invoked some of the racial tensions that have been gripping the country. At one point, he insisted that...